|
January 30, 2012 Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT
COMMUNICATIONS AND OUTREACH OFFICER:
Deborah Bress, 1-877-703-4300,
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
COMMITTEE CHAIR:
Michele Ryan, 1-408-673-1620,
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
SANTA CLARA CITY COUNCIL USING “SLAPP” TACTICS TO
CONCEAL ATTACK ON VOTERS' RIGHTS
Santa Clara, CA. January 30, 2012 – Santa Clara's City Council, in
its Stadium Authority guise, has filed suit against Santa Clara Plays
Fair, a grassroots group opposed to subsidizing a football stadium,
with a SLAPP (Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation) after
the group collected more than 5,000 signatures from Santa Clara
voters on each of two petitions for referendum. This attack is
against the voters in the City of Santa Clara.
California law requires the Council to repeal their December 13,
2011, resolutions or place them on the ballot. On January 24th,
the Council illegally refused to certify the results of the petitions.
“Measure J was not a blank check. It anticipated that voters would
want to weigh in on the final deal,” said Dr. Michele Ryan, Chair
of Santa Clara Plays Fair.
The dispute is over Council's passage of both a Disposition and
Development Agreement and a financing scheme, which exceeded
the authority given to the City in stadium Measure J.
“The Council’s reckless disregard for the voters is outrageous,”
said Karen Hardy, Santa Clara Plays Fair Board Member. “It
violates their sworn duty to represent the people of Santa Clara.” Santa Clara Plays Fair is a volunteer group of concerned citizens
opposed to taxpayer money for a private corporation. For more
information and to donate, please visit our website at
www.SantaClaraPlaysFair.org, or call 1-877-703-4300.
January 23, 2012 Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT
COMMUNICATIONS AND OUTREACH OFFICER:
Deborah Bress, 1-877-703-4300,
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
COMMITTEE CHAIR:
Michele Ryan, 1-408-673-1620,
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
SANTA CLARA PLAYS FAIR REFERENDUM PETITIONS SUCCESSFULLY
PASS REGISTRAR OF VOTERS SAMPLE COUNT
On January 23, 2012, the Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters
notified the Santa Clara City Clerk that it had validated the signatures
for both of the petitions submitted by Santa Clara Plays Fair on
January 18, 2012. Based on the sample count, the signature count
was estimated at 5,082 valid signatures on the Disposition and
Development Agreement and 5,142 valid signatures on the
Joinder, the financial agreement that calls for the City’s Stadium
Authority to borrow $850 Million from Goldman Sachs, Bank of
America, and US Bank to construct the stadium.
On December 13, 2011, the Santa Clara City Council voted to
approve a Disposition and Development Agreement with the San
Francisco 49ers to build a football stadium in what is currently the
overflow parking lot of Great America. The terms of the agreement
were not disclosed during the campaign for Measure J, and city
residents have expressed outrage that the City Council approved
such a massive public debt.
Santa Clara resident and business owner Ketra Oberlander said,
“Why are we borrowing $850 Million from billionaire Wall Street
bankers to give to a billionaire team owner? If the stadium is just a
giant debt hole, why does Santa Clara have to be involved at all?"
Santa Clara Plays Fair Chair Michele Ryan said, “Thanks to the
efforts of hundreds of volunteers, we collected more than 110%
of the valid signatures we needed on both petitions in less than
30 days. The voters of Santa Clara have sent a clear message to
the City Council—they want to vote on this development agreement.
We trust that the City Council will hear this message loud and clear
and take the steps necessary to uphold the voters’ right to vote
on this agreement.”
Santa Clara Plays Fair is a volunteer group of concerned citizens
opposed to taxpayer money for a private corporation. For more
information on the proposal and on how to volunteer and donate to the
campaign, visit www.SantaClaraPlaysFair.org, or call 1-877-703-4300.
January 18, 2012 Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT
COMMUNICATIONS AND OUTREACH OFFICER:
Deborah Bress, 1-877-703-4300,
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
COMMITTEE CHAIR:
Michele Ryan, 1-408-673-1620,
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
SANTA CLARA PLAYS FAIR SUBMITS REFERENDUM PETITIONS TO CITY CLERK JANUARY 18, 2012, 3:00PM, SANTA CLARA CITY HALL, 1500 WARBURTON AVENUE, SANTA CLARA, CA
On January 18, 2012, at 3:00pm, Santa Clara Plays Fair will bring in nearly 11,000 signatures from Santa Clara voters asking the City Council to either repeal the development agreement and the financing plan for the planned 49ers stadium or submit them to the voters.
On December 13, 2011, the Santa Clara City Council voted to approve a Development Agreement with the San Francisco 49ers to build a football stadium in what is currently the overflow parking lot of Great America. The agreement calls for the City’s Stadium Authority to borrow $850,000,000 from Goldman Sachs, Bank of America, and US Bank to construct the stadium – terms that were not disclosed during the campaign for Measure J. The City Clerk attested to the agreement on December 20, 2011.
Immediately following the City Clerk’s attestation, Santa Clara Plays Fair, a grassroots volunteer group of concerned citizens, began preparations for referendum petitions on both the Development Agreement and the Financial Agreement. Both Santa Clara’s City Charter and the State of California’s Government Code specifically state that Development Agreements are legislative actions subject to referendum.
Santa Clara Plays Fair Chair Michele Ryan said “The bar for referenda is intentionally set high. We had 30 days to collect signatures from 10% of the voters for each petition. The voters of Santa Clara have overwhelmingly said that they want to vote on the final development agreement the City has made with the San Francisco 49ers.”
Ryan added, “We trust that once the signatures are verified, the City Council will carry out the wishes of the people of Santa Clara and either repeal the agreement or put it to a vote of the people.”
Santa Clara Plays Fair is a volunteer group of concerned citizens opposed to taxpayer money for a private corporation. For more information on the proposal and on how to volunteer and donate to the campaign is available at www.SantaClaraPlaysFair.org, or call 1-877-703-4300.
|